Nate McMillan

Nate McMillan

McMillan with the Atlanta Hawks in 2021
Los Angeles Lakers
Position	Assistant coach
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(1964-08-03) August 3, 1964 (age 60) Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight	210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school	William G. Enloe (Raleigh, North Carolina)
College	Chowan (1982–1984) NC State (1984–1986)
NBA draft	1986: 2nd round, 30th overall pick
Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics
Playing career	1986–1998
Position	Point guard / shooting guard
Number	10
Coaching career	1998–present
Career history
As player:
1986–1998	Seattle SuperSonics
As coach:
1998–2000	Seattle SuperSonics (assistant)
2000–2005	Seattle SuperSonics
2005–2012	Portland Trail Blazers
2013–2016	Indiana Pacers (assistant)
2016–2020	Indiana Pacers
2020–2021	Atlanta Hawks (assistant)
2021–2023	Atlanta Hawks
2024–present	Los Angeles Lakers (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
2× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1994, 1995) NBA steals leader (1994) No. 10 retired by Seattle SuperSonics No. 10 jersey honored by NC State Wolfpack
Career NBA statistics
Points	4,733 (5.9 ppg)
Assists	4,893 (6.1 apg)
Steals	1,544 (1.9 spg)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference
Medals Men's basketball Representing  United States Olympic Games Assistant coach for  United States 2008 Beijing Men's basketball 2012 London Men's basketball FIBA World Championship Assistant coach for  United States 2006 Japan Men's basketball FIBA Americas Championship Assistant coach for  United States 2007 Las Vegas Men's basketball

Nathaniel McMillan (born August 3, 1964) is an American basketball coach and former player who serves as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He coached the Seattle SuperSonics from 2000 to 2005, the Portland Trail Blazers from 2005 to 2012, and the Indiana Pacers from 2016 to 2020. Nate served as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks in 2021, before becoming the head coach from 2021 to 2023. He spent his entire 12-year NBA playing career with the SuperSonics, then served as an assistant coach for one-and-a-half years and as head coach for almost five years. His long tenure as a player and coach in Seattle earned him the nickname "Mr. Sonic".

High school and college career

McMillan grew up in the heart of North Carolina's basketball country and attended Raleigh's William G. Enloe High School, where he went unnoticed by major college scouts. After playing for two years at Chowan College (then a two-year school) in Murfreesboro, North Carolina, ^{[1] [2]} he returned to Raleigh to play for Jim Valvano at North Carolina State. McMillan helped lead NC State to a first-place tie in the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season in 1985, and to the Elite Eight in both the 1985 and 1986 NCAA championship tournaments, where the Wolfpack lost to St. John's and Kansas, respectively. During his time at NC State, McMillan played alongside a number of fellow future NBA players: Spud Webb, Lorenzo Charles, Cozell McQueen, Chris Washburn, Vinny Del Negro, Charles Shackleford and Chucky Brown.

Professional career

McMillan was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics with the 30th pick in the 1986 NBA draft. He spent his entire NBA career in Seattle. During his 12-year playing career, McMillan put up career averages of 5.9 points, 6.1 assists and 1.9 steals. He still shares (with Ernie DiGregorio) the NBA rookie record for assists in a single game with 25. McMillan served as the primary starting point guard for the SuperSonics from the time he replaced Danny Young midway through the 1986–87 season, until he was replaced at the start of the 1990–91 season by future NBA Hall-of-Famer Gary Payton, then a rookie and the number two pick in the 1990 draft. ^{[3] [4] [5]} McMillan was known for his superb defense, leading the NBA in steals per game for the 1993–94 season and being named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team for the 1993–94 and 1994–95 seasons. McMillan was also known for his balanced play, which led to four career triple-doubles.

In the 1995–96 season, McMillan helped the SuperSonics reach the NBA Finals against the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls. The SuperSonics were the only team to beat the Bulls three times that season (once in the regular season and twice in the playoffs). ^[6]

Known as "Mr. Sonic" for his 19 years of service to the team, his number 10 jersey was retired by the SuperSonics.

Coaching career

Seattle SuperSonics (1998–2005)

After retiring in 1998, McMillan stayed in Seattle as an assistant under Paul Westphal. He held this role until 2000 when the Sonics fired Westphal and made McMillan interim coach. Although the team missed the playoffs during his first year, he earned a winning record of 38–29 as interim head coach. He was hired as head coach for the 2001–02 campaign and led the club to the playoffs. ^[7]

McMillan's Sonics had mediocre records the next two years, going 40–42 and 37–45. In the 2004–05 season, he led the team to 52–30 record in the regular season. ^[7] The team advanced to the Western Conference semifinals, where they lost to the San Antonio Spurs. ^[8]

Portland Trail Blazers (2005–2012)

After spending 19 years in Seattle as a player and coach, McMillan left Seattle on July 6, 2005, to become the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. ^[9] He took over a team riddled with cap problems and off-the-court drama, but steadily calmed the waters in Portland. His hard-nosed coaching style earned him the nickname "Sarge." ^[6] On December 5, 2009, McMillan ruptured his right Achilles tendon while scrimmaging with the Trail Blazers during practice. ^[10] He coached much of the season in a protective boot after surgery and led the team to 50 wins in spite of a historic number of injuries to his key players.^{[ citation needed ]} McMillan coached the Blazers until March 15, 2012. ^[11]

Indiana Pacers (2013–2020)

On July 1, 2013, McMillan was hired by the Indiana Pacers as an assistant coach for the 2013–14 season. ^[12] He replaced Brian Shaw, who accepted the head coaching position with the Denver Nuggets. ^[13] In May 2016, after former head coach Frank Vogel's contract was not extended, McMillan was promoted to replace Vogel as the Pacers' coach. ^[14] In McMillan's first year as head coach, the team experienced turmoil surrounding the displeasure and eventual departure of All-Star Paul George, who was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in June 2017. Despite this drama, the Pacers made the playoffs in all four of McMillan's seasons with the team, including three straight years without George. This was due largely to the emergence of the two players for whom he was traded, Victor Oladipo, who won the league's award for Most Improved Player in 2017 and was named to his first All-Star team in 2018, and Domantas Sabonis, who would also become an All-Star two years later in 2019. On August 12, 2020, Indiana announced that they had extended McMillan's contract. However, he was then fired a mere two weeks later, on August 26, 2020, after the Pacers were swept in the first round of the playoffs for the second year in a row, the fourth first round exit and third first round sweep in four playoff appearances under McMillan. ^[15]

Atlanta Hawks (2020–2023)

On November 11, 2020, the Atlanta Hawks hired McMillan as an assistant coach under Lloyd Pierce. ^[16] On March 1, 2021, McMillan was named interim head coach after the firing of Pierce. ^{[17] [18]} Following McMillan's promotion, Atlanta promptly went on an eight-game winning streak, begun with a victory over the defending Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat on March 2, 2021, and capped off by a win over the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers on March 20, 2021. ^[19] The Hawks finished the season 27–11 under McMillan's leadership, ^[20] ending a four-year playoff drought and earning the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta's success continued on into the playoffs. They beat the fourth-seeded New York Knicks in five games, and continued their improbable run by upsetting the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in a hard-fought seven-game series. With that series win, the Hawks made it to the Eastern Conference finals, only the second time in 54 years they have advanced past the second round. There they faced the third-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, led by two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. McMillan led the Hawks to their first-ever win in the conference finals, defeating the Bucks 116–113 in game 1. The Hawks would lose the series in six games. ^[21]

On July 5, 2021, McMillan and the Hawks agreed in principle to drop the "interim" tag from his title and make him the franchise's 14th head coach since the team moved to Atlanta, with a four-year contract. General manager Travis Schlenk said that while the language of the contract was still being drawn up, "I'm excited he's going to be our head coach going forward." ^[22] The deal was formally announced on July 7, with Schlenk praising the "incredible job" McMillan had done after taking over the team in mid-season. ^[23]

On February 21, 2023, the Hawks fired McMillan after the team posted a 29–30 record going into the All-Star break. ^{[24] [25]}

Los Angeles Lakers (2024–present)

On August 5, 2024, McMillan joined the Los Angeles Lakers coaching staff as an assistant coach under head coach JJ Redick. ^[26]

National team career

McMillan was an assistant coach under Mike Krzyzewski for the U.S. national team in the 2006 FIBA World Championship and in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, winning bronze and gold medals, respectively. ^[27] He is also a member of the National Junior College Basketball Hall of Fame, due to his All-American performance at Chowan.

McMillan again served as an assistant coach under Krzyzewski for the U.S. national team during the 2012 Summer Olympics. ^[28]

Career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high
*	Led the league

Source ^[5]

NBA

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1986–87	Seattle	71	50	27.8	.475	.000	.617	4.7	8.2	1.8	.6	5.3
1987–88	Seattle	82	82*	29.9	.474	.375	.707	4.1	8.6	2.1	.6	7.6
1988–89	Seattle	75	74	31.2	.410	.214	.630	5.2	9.3	2.1	.6	7.3
1989–90	Seattle	82*	69	28.5	.473	.355	.641	4.9	7.3	1.7	.5	6.4
1990–91	Seattle	78	0	18.4	.433	.354	.613	3.2	4.8	1.3	.3	4.3
1991–92	Seattle	72	30	22.9	.437	.276	.643	3.5	5.0	1.8	.4	6.0
1992–93	Seattle	73	25	27.1	.464	.385	.709	4.2	5.3	2.4	.5	7.5
1993–94	Seattle	73	8	25.8	.447	.391	.564	3.9	5.3	3.0*	.3	6.0
1994–95	Seattle	80	18	25.9	.418	.342	.586	3.8	5.3	2.1	.7	5.2
1995–96	Seattle	55	14	22.9	.420	.340	.707	3.8	3.6	1.7	.3	5.0
1996–97	Seattle	37	2	21.6	.409	.333	.655	3.2	3.8	1.6	.2	4.6
1997–98	Seattle	18	1	15.5	.343	.441	1.000	2.2	3.1	.8	.2	3.4
Career		796	373	25.7	.443	.343	.650	4.0	6.1	1.9	.5	5.9

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1987	Seattle	14	14	25.4	.435	–	.708	3.9	8.0	1.0	.7	5.1
1988	Seattle	5	5	25.4	.343	.000	.643	4.2	6.6	.4	.6	6.6
1989	Seattle	8	7	25.5	.475	.000	.640	3.1	7.9	1.3	.6	6.8
1991	Seattle	5	0	19.0	.261	.000	.500	3.6	4.4	1.2	.2	2.8
1992	Seattle	9	2	27.3	.422	.231	.714	3.7	7.0	1.8	.3	9.6
1993	Seattle	19	2	21.8	.340	.208	.533	3.5	5.4	2.1	.6	4.8
1994	Seattle	5	0	21.8	.320	.364	.250	3.2	2.0	1.2	.2	4.2
1995	Seattle	4	4	28.3	.348	.125	1.000	4.5	7.3	2.5	.5	4.8
1996	Seattle	19	0	20.3	.406	.475	.643	3.7	2.7	1.2	.3	4.4
1997	Seattle	3	0	13.7	.000	.000	–	1.7	1.0	.3	.0	.0
1998	Seattle	7	0	14.1	.333	.167	1.000	2.3	2.1	.4	.3	2.3
Career		98	34	22.3	.381	.289	.632	3.5	5.2	1.3	.4	5.0

Head coaching record

Legend

Regular season	G	Games coached	W	Games won	L	Games lost	W–L %	Win–loss %
Playoffs	PG	Playoff games	PW	Playoff wins	PL	Playoff losses	PW–L %	Playoff win–loss %

Team	Year	G	W	L	W–L%	Finish	PG	PW	PL	PW–L%	Result
Seattle	2000–01	67	38	29	.567	5th in Pacific	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Seattle	2001–02	82	45	37	.549	4th in Pacific	5	2	3	.400	Lost in First round
Seattle	2002–03	82	40	42	.488	5th in Pacific	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Seattle	2003–04	82	37	45	.451	5th in Pacific	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Seattle	2004–05	82	52	30	.634	1st in Northwest	11	6	5	.545	Lost in Conference semifinals
Portland	2005–06	82	21	61	.256	5th in Northwest	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Portland	2006–07	82	32	50	.390	3rd in Northwest	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Portland	2007–08	82	41	41	.500	3rd in Northwest	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Portland	2008–09	82	54	28	.659	1st in Northwest	6	2	4	.333	Lost in First round
Portland	2009–10	82	50	32	.610	3rd in Northwest	6	2	4	.333	Lost in First round
Portland	2010–11	82	48	34	.585	3rd in Northwest	6	2	4	.333	Lost in First round
Portland	2011–12	43	20	23	.465	(fired)	—	—	—	—	—
Indiana	2016–17	82	42	40	.512	4th in Central	4	0	4	.000	Lost in First round
Indiana	2017–18	82	48	34	.585	2nd in Central	7	3	4	.429	Lost in First round
Indiana	2018–19	82	48	34	.585	2nd in Central	4	0	4	.000	Lost in First round
Indiana	2019–20	73	45	28	.616	2nd in Central	4	0	4	.000	Lost in First round
Atlanta	2020–21	38	27	11	.711	1st in Southeast	18	10	8	.556	Lost in Conference finals
Atlanta	2021–22	82	43	39	.524	2nd in Southeast	5	1	4	.200	Lost in First round
Atlanta	2022–23	59	29	30	.492	(fired)	—	—	—	—	—
Career		1,428	760	668	.534		76	28	48	.368

Personal life

His son Jamelle played as a guard for the Arizona State Sun Devils ^[29] and was an assistant coach with the New Orleans Pelicans from 2013 to 2020, and was later an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks. ^{[30] [31]}

See also

• List of NBA career steals leaders
• List of NBA single-game assists leaders
• List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise

References

1. "Nate McMillian". The Official Athletics Site of the Chowan University Hawks. Chowan University . Retrieved October 30, 2020.
2. "Nate McMillan". NBA.
3. "Seattle SuperSonics 1986-87 Starting Lineups". Basketball-Reference.com.
4. "Seattle SuperSonics 1990-91 Starting Lineups". Basketball-Reference.com.
5. "Nate McMillan Stats". Basketball Reference . Sports Reference . Retrieved March 24, 2022.
6. Buckner, Candace (May 16, 2016). "Insider: 10 things to know about new Pacers coach Nate McMillan". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
7. "Nate McMillan Coaching Record". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
8. "2004-2005 Seattle Supersonics". Pointafter.com. Retrieved May 20, 2016.^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}
9. "Trail Blazers hire Nate McMillan". Billings Gazette. July 6, 2005. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
10. "Blazers' injuries, ailments continue to pile up". The Oregonian . December 8, 2009. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
11. Buckner, Candace. "Nate McMillan finalizing negotiations to be Pacers coach". No. May 15, 2016. Indianapolis Star. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
12. "Indiana Pacers hire Nate McMillan as associate head coach – NBA Blog". insidehoops.com.
13. "Home". Archived from the original on July 3, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
14. "Pacers Name Nate McMillan Head Coach". NBA.com. May 16, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
15. "Pacers fire McMillan after being swept in playoffs". ESPN.com. October 30, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
16. Finberg, Annie (November 11, 2020). "Atlanta Hawks Name Nate McMillan Assistant Coach". NBA.com. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
17. Finberg, Annie (March 1, 2021). "Nate McMillan Named Interim Head Coach of The Atlanta Hawks". NBA.com. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
18. "Atlanta Hawks fire coach Lloyd Pierce". ESPN.com. March 1, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
19. "Hawks Win Eighth In A Row; LeBron James Injured". ajc.com. March 20, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
20. "Atlanta Hawks Schedule 2020-21". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
21. "Bucks beat Hawks, head to NBA Finals for 1st time since 1974". ESPN.com. July 3, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
22. Bontemps, Tim (July 5, 2021). "Atlanta Hawks reach deal to remove interim tag from coach Nate McMillan's title". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
23. Finberg, Annie (July 7, 2021). "Atlanta Hawks Name Nate McMillan Head Coach". NBA.com. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
24. "Nate McMillan Relieved of Head Coaching Duties". NBA.com. February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
25. Wojnarowski, Adrian (February 21, 2023). "Hawks fire coach Nate McMillan". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
26. "Los Angeles Lakers Complete Coaching Staff". NBA.com. August 5, 2024.
27. 2006 USA Basketball Archived 2007-10-14 at the Wayback Machine
28. "USA Basketball: Nate McMillan". archive.usab.com. January 23, 2013. Archived from the original on January 30, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
29. "Jamelle McMillan Profile". Arizona State University Athletics. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
30. "Pelicans announce coaching staff additions and changes". NBA.com. September 13, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
31. "Sources: Pelicans parting ways with assistant coach Jamelle McMillan".

External links

• Career statistics from NBA.com  and  Basketball Reference
• Career NBA stats as a coach